Over the past month, ONE’s CEO and expert staff have been actively discussing the impact of COVID-19, lessons learned from the Ebola epidemic, and how the global community should respond. Here are some highlights of ONE’s engagement in the media. Please reach out for more information and opportunities.
ONE’s CEO Gayle Smith, an expert in responding to global health crises from her past roles in the Obama administration as a White House adviser and Administrator of the US Agency for International Development, is calling for global leadership and coordination. You can follow her on Twitter at @GayleSmith.
In May, Gayle spoke to David Axelrod about the need for a global response to COVID-19, and reiterated this message again in an interview with Devex, calling for the world to come together. Gayle was also featured in a German documentary on ZDF discussing the US’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She spoke to CNN on the ripple effects on public health, food security, and local economies. Gayle also responded after the EU and global partners pledged €7.4 billion to find a vaccine.
In a recent joint press briefing with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gayle stressed the importance for a vaccine to be available equitably and equally. We also co-hosted a discussion with Tortoise media looking at what other issues the world cannot afford to neglect during this pandemic, where Gayle discussed the cascading effects of the pandemic and warned that we must not forget other health risks such as HIV/AIDS.
On 29 April, Gayle went on CBS Face the Nation to call for a stronger global response to the pandemic.
As #coronavirus continues to hit countries around the world, @Facethenation‘s @Margbrennan spoke to @ONECampaign CEO and former @USAID Administrator @GayleSmith for a look how the global response to pandemics impacts us at homehttps://t.co/ibdMxDMSUC
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 29, 2020
She also said it’s time to start building the architecture we need so that we do not repeat what we’re going through now again.
In Der Spiegel, Gayle was interviewed about how coronavirus is forcing aid organizations to improvise. She has also discussed how we can defeat COVID-19 globally, how we can apply lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak, and the need for a coordinated global response:
“The fact that we’re interconnected and dependent, it isn’t a political position. It’s a statement of fact.”
ONE and Devex co-hosted a high-level virtual discussion with Gayle, Mike Gerson (Washington Post columnist and ONE fellow) and Mark Dybul (former head of PEPFAR and Global Fund). They discussed what our global response should be, the support required in developing countries, and ways to strengthen global health security.
Coming at 12:00pm ET: @ONECampaign CEO @GayleSmith joins @Devex’s @raj_devex, @MJGerson and Mark Dybul for a discussion on the #COVID19 global response. Register here: https://t.co/LZfqnst5Z8 pic.twitter.com/QZEzlzwbZg
— ONE in America (@ONEinAmerica) April 29, 2020
ONE’s Africa Executive Director Edwin Ikhuoria (@edwindaniels1) joined CNBC Africa to explore possible plans for Africa amid this pandemic. And Serah Ugbabe, our Nigeria Director, went on Al Jazeera to discuss the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on low-income Nigerians and the need for increased local production of personal protective equipment
“Nobody can be over-prepared for this” – ONE Africa Executive Director @edwindaniels1 on Africa’s rescue plan (via @cnbcafrica)
— ONE in Africa (@ONEinAfrica) March 31, 2020
Our Executive Director, Global Policy, David McNair (@David_McNair) participated in a webinar hosted by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce, where he reiterated the importance of mobilising resources to fight the disease. He also set out the three things the G20 must do today to support Africa during COVID-19.
Catch up on more COVID-19 coverage and join us in asking world leaders to step up with a global response.
